Oklahoma State Staves Off Elimination, Beats Alabama State 8-7 in Extras

It took everything Oklahoma State had to stave off elimination form the NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional as the Cowboys beat Alabama State 8-7 in 11 innings.

With the win, the Cowboys improved to 38-21 on the season.

Brennan Phillips got the start for the Pokes as he went just over five innings with seven strikeouts to two walks, while giving up two earned runs on three hits.

Kai Fyke and Noah Wech came into the game in relief, combining for 1.2 innings and gave up a combined three earned runs on five hits with just one strikeout and one walk.

Mario Pesca earned the win as he went 3.2 innings with four strikeouts, including the game-clinching strikeout in the bottom of the 11th inning. He gave up two earned runs on three hits with three walks.

The Cowboys got on the board first in the top of the fourth inning as Colin Brueggemann plastered a grand slam over the batter’s eye in center field, scoring Cambell Smithwick, Kollin Ritchie and Brock Thompson to make it 4-0. 

South Alabama tied it up at six in the bottom of the eighth inning as Cale Clark hit a two-run home run, his first home run of the season. 

Despite winning 8-7, the Cowboys struggled from the plate as they were held to just five hits. That included Ritchie going 0-for-15 until the top of the 11th inning. That all changed when he blasted his 30th home run of the season to put the Pokes up 8-7, and making him just the fifth Big 12 baseball player to reach at least 30 home runs in a single season. He’s also now tied with Monty Fariss and Lamont Matthews with the second-most home runs in a season in program history.

The Cowboys will face the loser of Alabama-USC Upstate Sunday at 2 p.m. CT.